Football with a twist; Sacred Heart plays 8-man ball

By
Justin Walters
By
jwalters@wbbjtv.com

JACKSON, Tenn. - It's no myth that football is a staple in West Tennessee. Sacred Heart is one of many schools that add to that tradition, but with a different approach.

Instead of 11 men on the field, Sacred Heart competes with eight.

"It's a completely different game. I didn't even know it existed until Sacred Heart played it," said first year head coach David Bryant. "Football is football; you get out there and play hard."

Middle Tennessee Athletic Conference is the league that structures the eight man competition. Not only did the unorthodox style surprise coach Bryant, but the amount of teams that play under those conditions.

"Eight man game is really fast. My goals is just to get a better feel for the game," explained Bryant.

In addition to the shortened amount of players on the field, Sacred Heart enters this season with only 11 players.

Peculiar at first sight, but Sacred Heart goes through the same workouts that varsity teams participate in. The love of the game is what keeps the players and coach Bryant going every week.